25 August 2023 , 11:00
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Sam Fender will make his debut performance in the grand headliners slot at Reading and Leeds Festivals, just several years after his first performance.
The North Shields-born musician, 29, first attended Leeds Festival over a decade ago and embraced everything Braham Park had to offer. His time as a punter saw a bloke from Sheffield, South Yorks, save his life after a near-fatal accident involving a fire. The man in question, who Sam doesn't remember used his urine to put the fire out.
At the time of announcing his set, he penned: "Thankfully because of that lad whose name I can't remember, I didn't perish in the flames. Little did he know he'd just saved Reading and Leeds's 2023 headliner. See you down the front."
But as Sam prepares to become the biggest name on the bill at Leeds and Richfield Avenue in Reading, we're here to bring you all you need to know.
Setlist
Sam Fender is making his Reading and Leeds Festival headline debut this weekend (WireImage)
He previously attended the festival a decade ago as a punter and has performed there since finding fame (Getty Images)While his setlist has been kept a secret, Sam's setlists over the course of the summer have been relatively similar so here are the songs you might to get practising if his recent shows are anything to go by.
Sam Fender says Leeds Festival fan 'saved his life' while attending as a punter
- Will We Talk?
- Getting Started
- Dead Boys
- Mantra
- The Borders
- Alright
- Wild Grey Ocean
- Spice
- Howdon Aldi Death Queue
- Spit of You
- Get You Down
- Dancing in the Dark (Bruce Springsteen cover)
- Seventeen Going Under
- Hypersonic Missiles
As the headline act, Sam will be performing at 9.50pm - 11.20pm on Main Stage East at Reading Festival (Friday) and then taking to Main Stage East Leeds on Saturday between 9.20 and 10.50pm. The full set times for the weekend can be found here.
The gates for the 2023 event opened on Wednesday as people headed to the fields to try and secure the best camp spot which would ensure they're close to all of the action. But as music lovers prepare for the headline artists to take to the various stages, bosses have now confirmed set times.
Before The Mirror heads to Leeds, we're here to bring you all you need to know in order to prepare yourself. This year, there are various safety measures put in place to protect festivalgoers with each campsite having a designated AIRS Hub (Assistance, Information and Response) which will work alongside the security and stewards.
This year, the BBC will be streaming Reading Festival via the Player platform for music lovers. Selected performances will be made available via the Reading Highlights channel on the platform from August 28. But before then, the service will have a designated Reading and Leeds channel which will show previous performances between August 21 and August 27.